Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
Based on 89% Sauvignon Blanc and 11% Semillon and brought up in second-fill acacia and neutral French oak barrels, with a small amount in concrete eggs, the 2024 Sauvignon Blanc Estate is a richer styled effort that has ripe lemon curd, lanolin, and honeyed flowers all defining its aromatics. It's medium-bodied, has a layered texture, bright, integrated acidity, and outstanding length. It reminds me of some Semillon blends from Bordeaux given its richness.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
A blend of 89% Sauvignon Blanc and 11% Sémillon, Groth's 2024 Estate Sauvignon Blanc was fermented in a mix of neutral oak barrels and second-fill acacia wood, with the Sémillon going into concrete egg. The result is a wine characterized by bold scents of honeyed fig and melon, with just a hint of pencil shavings. It's medium- to full-bodied, expansive, generous and even rich across the mid-palate, then tightens up nicely on the finish, ending clean and lemony.
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Wine Spectator
This is impressive for the harmony of its precise, elegant lemony notes and its flavors of tangerine and plump, ripe and salted melon, all on a light and crisp frame. Details of ripe peach, orange blossoms and freshly grated ginger, plus a touch of lemon balm, lin- ger on the finish alongside a hint of green tea.
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James Suckling
This has citrusy, slightly grassy character with apples, lemon rind, spicy herbs and crushed stones on the nose. Medium-bodied, textured and juicy, it finishes creamy and sleek.
Groth Vineyards & Winery is a family-owned company with deep roots in the Oakville AVA,
home to Napa Valley’s largest concentration of top Cabernet Sauvignon producers.
Dennis and Judy Groth made a life-changing investment in 1981 when they bought a vineyard on Oakville Cross Road, in the heart of Napa Valley, with hopes it would produce wines as special as their favorites from the region. It didn’t take long for their intuition to be proven right. Robert Parker of the Wine Advocate gave the Groth 1985 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon the distinction of being California’s first 100-point wine.
Today, with Dennis and Judy’s daughter, Suzanne Groth, as President & CEO, Groth sustainably farms 165 acres of estate vineyards with the dual goals of producing the highest-quality, most elegant wines we can while caring for our estate for future generations. The winery produces critically acclaimed Cabernet Sauvignon, Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay. The 2016 Reserve Cabernet was ranked No. 4 on Wine Spectator’s Top 100 Wines of 2019 list.
Capable of a vast array of styles, Sauvignon Blanc is a crisp, refreshing variety that equally reflects both terroir and varietal character. Though it can vary depending on where it is grown, a couple of commonalities always exist—namely, zesty acidity and intense aromatics. This variety is of French provenance. Somm Secret—Along with Cabernet Franc, Sauvignon Blanc is a proud parent of Cabernet Sauvignon. That green bell pepper aroma that all three varieties share is no coincidence—it comes from a high concentration of pyrazines (herbaceous aromatic compounds) inherent to each member of the family.
One of the world's most highly regarded regions for wine production as well as tourism, the Napa Valley was responsible for bringing worldwide recognition to California winemaking. In the 1960s, a few key wine families settled the area and hedged their bets on the valley's world-class winemaking potential—and they were right.
The Napa wine industry really took off in the 1980s, when producers scooped up vineyard lands and planted vines throughout the county. A number of wineries emerged, and today Napa is home to hundreds of producers ranging from boutique to corporate. Cabernet Sauvignon is definitely the grape of choice here, with many winemakers also focusing on Bordeaux blends. White wines from Napa Valley are usually Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc.
Within the Napa Valley lie many smaller sub-AVAs that claim specific wine characteristics based on situation, slope and soil. Farthest south and coolest from the influence of the San Pablo Bay is Carneros, followed by Coombsville to its northeast and then Yountville, Oakville and Rutherford. Above those are the warm St. Helena and the valley's newest and hottest AVA, Calistoga. These areas follow the valley floor and are known generally for creating rich, dense, complex and smooth red wines with good aging potential. The mountain sub appellations, nestled on the slopes overlooking the valley AVAs, include Stags Leap District, Atlas Peak, Chiles Valley (farther east), Howell Mountain, Mt. Veeder, Spring Mountain District and Diamond Mountain District. Napa Valley wines from the mountain regions are often more structured and firm, benefiting from a lot of time in the bottle to evolve and soften.